Gas lighter



Dec. 18,1923.

o.- ZUMFT GAS LIGHTER File d March 19 1923 IN V EN TOR A TTORNE Y Patented Bee 1% star-r asp] OSCAR ZUMFT, 01E KINDERHOOK, NEW YORK.

GAS LIGHTER.

Application filed. March 19, 1923. Serial No. 626,245.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR ZUMrr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kinderhook in the county of Columbia and State 5 of ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas Lighters,

of which the followlng is a specification.

This invention relates to unprovements in gas lighters and p'articularly to such as depend upon the well known aflinity of the hydrogen in the gas for platinum whereby heat is engendered and the gas lighted with out the expenditure of physical energy.

The principal object of the invention is to produce a. lighter consisting of a hollow cone having foraminous walls permitting the entrance of oxygen and outlet of surplus gas, and h'aving a handle by which it may be conveniently manipulated.

Another purpose is to produce a lighter in which the chemically operative elements are safely guarded and held securely against inadvertent damage interiorly of the cone.

A further aim is in the provision of a particul'ar neat and convenient device requiring no previous experience to operate in an effective and practical manner, and which can be cheaply constructed by ordinary factory methods. These objects are attained by the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying, drawing, forming part of this disclosure, and in which Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of an igniter made in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken through the conical head thereof.

In constructing the implement, a single strand of pliable wire, relatively. firm so as to maintain the shape given it, is used, such for instance as aluminum or its alloys,

the same being formed into a shank or stem 5 its outer portion being curved to produce a handle element 6, being bent reentrantly at the bight 7, continued to constitute the opposite handle element 8 and engaged by its terminal coils 9 with the stem which is tightly encircled by the convolutions.

The oppositely disposed portion of the wire, adjacent the stem, is pressed to form a series of undulations spaced at short intervals apart, as at 10 and 11, and coiled to present a conical helix, generally designated by the numeral 12, the base or largest diametered coil 13 being the last in the series, the axis of which is substantially at a right angle to the stem 5.

Leading from this outer coil is an eccentric arm 1 1 formed into a ring 15 disposed centrally of the otherwise open base and adapted to engage upon the top of the average gas burner tip.

A strip of thin metal, constituting a bridge 16 is engaged by its curved ends 17 on opposite sides of the upper, smaller coil 18 of the hollow cone, and attached by line wires 19 to the bridge is a ring 20 made of any suitable material known to be a nonconductor of heat.

Engaged in the ring are a plurality of line platinum wires or filaments 21 extending downward in the cone towards its base and fixed to these wires is a ball or pill 22 composed of platinum sponge.

In operation, the lighter is applied over the gas tip so that the ring guide 15 rests upon it, the gas turned on and after a moments time the gas becomes ignited.

This action is due to the well known atlinity of the hydrogen in ordinary illuminating gas for the metal platinum, causing an intense heat which ignites the gas, combustion being maintained by the oxygen in the air entering the interstices presented in the wall of the cone by re'ason of the undulations of the wire from which it is formed.

It is to be noted however that a cone having apertured walls, as perforated sheet metal, may be substituted for the crinkled wire to produce like results and hence is included in the scope of invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A gas lighter comprising a hollow foraminous metallic cone, a guide ring at the larger end adapted to contact with the tip of a gas burner, and a lighting means within said cone.

2. A gas lighter comprising a hollow foraminous metallic cone wound spirally from a single strand of wire previously formed to present short undulations whereby spaces beplurality of platinum wires fixed in said I tween adjacent coils are produced, a, handle ring to extend downward in the cone, and

integral with the upper, smaller end of said a ball of platinum sponge secured to said 1 cone a guide ring heldcentrally of the wires. i

5 lower, larger end of said cone, a bridge In witness whereof I have affixed my sigv fixed to extend across the upper coil, a nonnature.

conducting ring secured to said bridge, a OSCAR ZUMFT. 

